2000
#3,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,544
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.54
Uncommon Last name
Weems
Derived from a place name meaning "at the caves" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near caves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,181 Americans carry the last name Weems. That puts it at #3,567 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,655 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weems surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Weems with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,655
Census rank
#3,567
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,750 bearers of the surname Weems in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3567th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weems, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.2%. The next largest groups are Black (32.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weems
The surname Weems originates from Scotland, where it first appeared in the 13th century as a habitational name for someone from a place called Weems or Wemyss, near the town of West Wemyss in Fife. The name is derived from the Gaelic uamh, meaning "cave" or "den."
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Weems is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England following his conquest of Scotland. One of the names mentioned is Michael de Wymes, a landowner from Fife.
Another early record of the Weems surname is in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1328, where a John de Wemys is noted as receiving payment for services rendered to the crown. Additionally, the name appears in the Brus manuscript from the 14th century, an early Scottish chronicle of the Wars of Scottish Independence.
In the 15th century, Sir John Wemyss of Wemyss (c. 1390-1459) was a prominent Scottish nobleman who served as a diplomat and ambassador for King James I and King James II. He was also a member of the Privy Council and played a key role in the negotiations for the release of King James I from English captivity.
Another notable figure with the Weems surname was John Weemes (c. 1579-1636), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the minister of Hutton and Dalkeith. He was a prolific writer and published several works on religious topics, including "The Christian Synagogue" and "An Exposition of the Morall Lavve."
In the 17th century, Sir James Wemyss (1610-1677) was a Scottish nobleman and military commander who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. He was appointed Governor of Newcastle upon Tyne and later served as a member of the Privy Council of Scotland under King Charles II.
The Weems surname has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Wemyss Castle and Wemyss Bay, both located in Fife. The name has also been spelled in various ways over the centuries, including Wemyss, Weymss, and Wymes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weems
Among Census respondents with the surname Weems, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.2%. The next largest groups are Black (32.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Weems bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Weems surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.2% · 5,772
- Black or African American32.2% · 3,144
- Two or more races4.7% · 456
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 252
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weems
Weems appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,231
+687 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 3.47
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#3,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,750
-481 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.26
Rank movement Down 73 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,432 | 9,544 | 3.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,494 | 10,231 | 3.47 | +687 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #3,567 | 9,750 | 3.26 | -481 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 73 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Weems surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,494 | #3,567 | -2.1% |
| Count | 10,231 | 9,750 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.47 | 3.26 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weems bearers went from 10,231 to 9,750 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 73 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,494 to #3,567.
FAQ
Weems surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weems?
Name Census estimates that about 11,181 living Americans carry the surname Weems. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,655 residents.
How common is Weems?
Weems ranks #3,567 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,750 people with the surname Weems. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,181), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Weems.
Has Weems become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weems went from 10,231 recorded bearers to 9,750. That is a decrease of 481 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,494 to #3,567.
What does the Census say about the background of Weems?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weems, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.2%. The next largest groups are Black (32.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Weems in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.2% (5,772 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weems appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.2%), Black (32.2%), Two or More Races (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Weems (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Weems mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "at the caves" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near caves. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Weems (3.26 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Weems?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Weems on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.